Wireless technologies have led to the development of many new services such as location determination services.
Location determination can be accomplished with differing methods and systems and with varying levels of accuracy and speed. Some of the less precise methods of determining locations include time of arrival, time difference of arrival, angle of arrival, forward link trilateration, advanced forward link trilateration, enhanced forward link trilateration, observed time difference, over-the-air serving sector latitude and longitude, and enhanced observed time difference of arrival, amongst others. Each of these methods involves use of wireless signals broadcast by a wireless network to calculate a position.
More precise methods to determine a location involve receiving signals broadcast by the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system and then using those signals to determine a location. The use of four of the twenty-four GPS satellites is required to determine a position with accuracy. Since acquisition of such GPS signals may take some time and because the subsequent calculations to determine a position can be lengthy, GPS determined locations often take a greater time than the less precise methods do. Two techniques for determining locations using this technology are known in the art as GPS and assisted GPS.
Location determination can be made using individually or some combination of hardware/firmware/software installed in a wireless network, in a mobile device, or both. The less precise methods are typically network based and do not require changes in the hardware/firmware/software of a mobile device, though base stations may require such. Wireless device or handset based services typically will require some combination of hardware/firmware/software to be able to determine a location.
Once a location is determined, that information can be manipulated or used by a wireless device to provide a location in association with the use of its myriad other functionalities, including but not limited to telephone call placement and reception, location based services such as but not limited to providing directions to or from a location, and image capture. For example, it is presently known to label a photograph with a location that has been determined by a location determination system such as one of those previously mentioned.